Victoria Mack's story | Grant Thornton

I can be me at Grant Thornton

Coming from a woman-owned, boutique recruiting and staffing agency, I knew a larger professional services firm would provide more growth opportunities for my career, but I wasn’t sure what kind of culture to expect. I thought in a more corporate environment, I would have to become comfortable with code-switching or “blending in.” But after my first year at Grant Thornton, I realized the culture — and the impact it would have on my career — exceeded my expectations.

I show up as I am

At Grant Thornton, I am able to show up as myself. Once I realized that, my confidence in my work and in leading projects soared. I noticed I started getting a better response when I gave presentations. My relationships grew, too. I’ve made close friendships with colleagues — who I now consider friends outside of work. Making genuine connections with as many people as I can has even helped me grow my career.

“At Grant Thornton, I’m confident showing up as me. It’s helped me in meetings, in creating real and genuine connections across levels, and it’s led to me getting my current role and the work I love doing.”

— Victoria Mack

Senior Associate

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

I’m elevating my career

As a graduate of a historically Black university, I always had an interest in DE&I, but in my first Grant Thornton role in University Recruiting, I didn’t know how best to get involved. My interest grew when I saw Rashada Whitehead, our national managing director of Culture, Immersion & Inclusion, speak at the firm’s first annual Inclusion Conference. I was so intrigued that afterward, I emailed her to express interest in DE&I and to connect with her one-on-one to build a relationship. During our chats, I learned that she wanted to expand her team, so I applied and got the job.

I'm doing work I'm proud of

Not only am I comfortable enough to speak up and create connections, but I’m leading change on DE&I projects I’m passionate about. Being a Howard University (HU, YOU KNOW!) graduate is a huge part of who I am, and my School of Business connection recently led to one of my proudest work accomplishments: this past fall recruiting season, I helped facilitate our first Grant Thornton Day on Howard University’s campus.